SFMS/CMA Defeats Bill That Would Have Eliminated In-Office Exception to Self-Referral Law April 30, 2014 Advocacy, News in-office exception, SB 1215 0 On Tuesday, SFMS/CMA successfully defeated a bill that would have eliminated the in-office exception to the self-referral law for advanced imaging, anatomic pathology, radiation therapy and physical therapy. SB 1215 (Hernandez) died in Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee after receiving just one vote. This bill would have been a major blow to the integrated care model, resulting in increased costs as these services would of been driven toward the more expensive hospital setting and inhibit the development of practices that integrate and coordinate care. In general, physicians are prohibited from referring a patient to another medical professional or facility if the physician or physician’s family has a financial interest or receives a referral fee. However, there is an “in-office” exception to this general prohibition that allows referrals to another medical professional that is located within the office of the physician or physician’s group practice. This exception allows for greater integrated care and better health comes, as medical resources concentrated at a single facility increases efficiency and allows the physician to supervise the patient throughout all stages of the treatment process. SFMS and CMA members advocated heavily against SB 1215 during last week’s Lobby Day. With the help of physician members and CMA partners, we have successfully managed to defeat this harmful bill. Click here for more information about SB 1215 and it’s current status. Comments are closed.
